Author Archives: Randy Long

Myths About Saving Electrical Energy at Home

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Energy Saving MythsWould you like to cut down on how much energy you use in your home on a daily basis? If so, there are many ways for you to do it. However, there are also a lot of energy-saving myths out there that can lead you astray when it comes to scaling back on your home’s energy usage. Avoid these myths at all costs since they won’t save you much energy at all.

Myth: Turning a light off and then back on uses more energy than just leaving a light on.

For years, some people have been under the impression that it makes more sense to leave lights on in their houses as opposed to turning them on and off all day long. But this is, of course, not true. Turning a light on doesn’t use up any more energy than letting a light sit on. It’s why you should get into the habit of turning lights off when you’re not using them to conserve energy.

Myth: Running an AC all day to keep a house cool uses less energy than turning an AC on at the end of the day when a house is hot and stuffy.

Many homeowners leave their AC systems running all day long to keep a house that no one is in cool. They do it because they think it’ll help them steer clear of having to waste energy later by attempting to cool off a stuffy house with an overmatched AC system. It will take your AC system some time to cool off a stuffy house, but it’ll still require far less energy to take that approach than it will to keep your AC running throughout the day. If you’re concerned about coming home to a warm house, consider installing a smart thermostat that you can turn on about an hour before you get home.

Myth: Appliances don’t use any electricity when they’re plugged in but not turned on.

Many older appliances used to shut down when you had them turned off and not waste energy. But these days, many appliances and other gadgets continue to use up energy unnecessarily when they’re not being used. It’s a great idea to unplug appliances that don’t need to be plugged in all the time if you want to save energy.

If you’re serious about wanting to save energy, don’t buy into any of these myths. Instead, let Always on Electric show you some ways to bring your energy costs way down. Call us at 970-309-2616 to schedule our residential electrical services.

Signs You Need a Residential Electrician

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Residential ElectricianDo you have electrical circuit breakers in your home that are tripping on you all the time? This could potentially indicate a big problem with your home’s electrical system. It’s important for you to call a residential electrician right away so that they can take a closer look at the issue.

There are also other signs that you need to touch base with an electrician sooner than later. Check them out below.

Flickering lights

If the lights in your home flicker every once in a blue moon, it might not be the end of the world. Nevertheless, if you notice that your lights are flickering or even turning off completely on an almost daily basis, you shouldn’t ignore it. This is more than likely a sign that you should have a residential electrician come to evaluate your electrical system.

Warm outlets or switches

Feel the outlets and switches in your home every now and then to see if they’re warm. If they are, there is a decent chance that you have some kind of electrical issue on your hands. If the problem starts to spiral out of control, it’s not uncommon for the wall surrounding an outlet or switch to get warm, too.

Old electrical wiring

The electrical wiring that you have in your home is not supposed to last for decades and decades on end. Most electrical wiring is only designed to last for about 25 years before it needs to be replaced. It’s a good idea to have a residential electrician inspect and possibly replace old electrical wiring before it causes issues for you.

The next time you notice one of these signs of trouble, let Always on Electric come out to your home and provide you with residential electrical services. Call us at 970-309-2616 today to set up an appointment.

Short Circuits and What Your Response Should Be

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Short Circuits It’s not all that uncommon for homeowners to be forced to deal with short circuits in their electrical systems. However, short circuits should not be taken lightly. If you ever experience a short circuit in your home, it’s a good idea to have an electrician come out to make the necessary repairs. Here is a brief overview of what short circuits are, what they’re caused by, and how they can affect you.

What exactly is a short circuit?

A short circuit in your electrical system takes place when a wire that’s carrying an electrical current comes into contact with another wire or portion of a circuit, thus giving the electrical current a less resistant path than before. It brings the distance between two conductive points down and results in more heat being produced by the electricity.

What causes a short circuit?

Short circuits in your electrical system can be caused by any number of things. If your electrical wires aren’t insulated properly, it could cause a short circuit. Short circuits can also be caused by loose connections in your system and pests that have chewed through wires. Older appliances can also cause short circuits to occur.

Why is a short circuit dangerous?

Short circuits in your electrical system are dangerous because they allow for larger amounts of electricity to run throughout your home. That electricity can generate a lot of heat and lead to a fire if you don’t have short circuits fixed. Short circuits can also force you to make costly repairs to appliances and damage other electrical equipment.

Don’t ignore the signs of a short circuit in your home. Always on Electric can make short circuits a thing of the past by inspecting your electrical system and repairing it. Call us at 970-309-2616 to schedule an appointment if you suspect short circuits could be present in your electrical system.

The Advantages of Having a Standby Generator for Your Business

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Backup Generators for BusinessesLooking for a Standby Generator for Your Business?

Always on Electric provides electrical services for local businesses and homes throughout the western Colorado region. With the Fall and Winter seasons closely approaching, a standby generator have major benefits on your business. Snowstorms, colder temperatures, and other elemental weather can cause power outages. Knowing your business won’t shut down due to having a standby generator will leave you with a sigh of relief.

Benefits of Having a Standby Generator for Your Business

When faced with a natural disaster or power outages in your area, the last thing you want to worry about is not being able to service your customers, which will result in loss of business and money. There are several reasons why a backup power source will help you stay in business through unexpected power loss.

  • Safety– To ensure your safety and the safety of your employees, invest in a quality generator that will keep your lights and security systems operating and protect important electronic data.
  • Security– In the event of a power outage, sensitive data you store electronically can be lost. With the use of a standby generator, you can ensure that your personal business information and customer information is not lost when the power goes out.
  • Building Trust with Customers– When an outage occurs in your area, customers will look for businesses that are able to continue to provide services despite the current outage. If your business is able to operate in these conditions customers will remember this in the future for other needs they may have for your services.

Choosing the Right Generator for Your Business

While searching for a generator, there are different factors that must be considered before choosing the right generator for you. These factors can depend on your personal business practices, the size of your business and ability to provide maintenance on the generator.

The four main types of power generators are:

  • EMD Generators– Electro-Motive Diesel is a low maintenance and low risk generator that has flexible functionality.
  • Diesel Generators– A diesel generator operates with the use of a diesel engine and electrical generator. Diesel generator are best used for emergency power.
  • Portable Generators.- Portable generators typically operate using gasoline as fuel and are portable which makes it ideal for commercial or industrial use.
  • Natural Gas Generators– Natural gas generators operate using natural gas for fuel. Natural gas generators help reduce the amount of pollutants released into the environment because it is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels.

From floods, tornadoes, blizzards and earthquakes , Colorado has experienced it. Allow Always On Electric to ensure that your business can withstand whatever nature brings our way! Contact Always On Electric at (970) 309-2616 today or visit us online for more information!

Reasons to Consider Changing the Lighting in Your Home

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Installing New Lighting in Your Home Has it been more than a few years since you last updated the lighting in your home? If so, it could be making your entire house look outdated. You might not necessarily realize it, but your lighting could be taking a toll on your interior design if you have older fixtures in place. Consider changing the lighting right away to bring your home up to speed. Here are some of the other reasons why you should do it.

New lighting will revitalize different parts of your home

If there are some specific areas in your home that are too dark almost all the time, new lighting can change that right away. Whether you choose to install a larger lighting fixture that will add more light to a room or several lighting fixtures, you’ll be able to make any area brighter. This can enhance your mood and allow people to see what they’re doing in certain parts of your home.

New lighting adds character and personality to your home

Many homeowners try to create a feel within their home through their use of interior design. But unfortunately, their lighting can mess with that feel and throw it all off. New lighting will add some much-needed character and personality to a space and work nicely with the other interior design aspects within it. From lamps and pendant lights to chandeliers and sconces, you can choose whatever will fit the feel of your home.

New lighting reduces your energy costs

Using older lighting fixtures and traditional lightbulbs in your home can drive your energy costs way up. You can bring them back down with new lighting fixtures outfitted with LED bulbs. You could cut your costs pretty significantly when you choose the right fixtures and bulbs for your home and reduce the numbers of times you have to change your bulbs moving forward.

Are you already thinking of all the ways you can change the lighting in your home? Call Always on Electric at 970-309-2616 today to see how our residential electrical services can help you install new lighting in your home.

Things to Keep in Mind When Selecting an Electrician

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Electrician Choosing an electrician for a project at your home or business may be an intimidating process. How do you know if an electrician will do a good job, will treat you fairly, is honest and trustworthy, and has the skills and experience needed to safely complete the job? These tips are good things to keep in mind when selecting an electrician.

Personal Recommendation

Personal recommendations from family members, friends, or co-workers are often a great way to find a professional service provider. Recommendations of this sort are usually based on personal experience so they can be valuable. After all, if a contractor has a reputation of treating customers right then you can expect the same experience.

A similar option to personal recommendations is to check online review sites. This takes personal recommendations up a level by allowing you to see what others in the community have experienced when dealing with a business. Consistently positive reviews or recommendations of an electrician should provide a good indication of what your experience with be as well.

Professional Experience

Electrical work requires considerable training and experience. This is not the type of work where you want to hire someone who does not have considerable expertise.

Safe electrical work requires detailed knowledge of all applicable codes and best practices. Faulty electrical work may expose you, your loved ones, or your employees to hazards like electrical shocks or fire.

Licensing and Insurance

Always look for an electrician who is properly licensed and insured. If you hire a electrician who is not licensed and insured, it means you are forfeiting a great deal of protection.

Licensing requirements help to be sure that only qualified professionals are performing electrical work. Insurance further verifies that the electrician is a professional, but also helps to protect you in case something does go wrong while work is being performed on your property.

Always On Electric, Inc. provides quality electrical services to residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers in the areas around Aspen, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, New Castle, and Vail. We have always been licensed, insured, and bonded so you can be sure that you are hiring a professional electrician for your project.

Contact us today at 970-309-2616 to learn more about our services or to request a quote.

The Importance of Quality Exterior Lighting for Businesses

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Exterior Lighting for Commercial Businesses Whether you realize it or not, your business presents itself to the public at all hours of the day. People will pass by your business even if it is closed, so it’s important to have quality exterior lighting, especially when it’s dark outside. When your business is open after the sun goes down and it’s really dark outside, people need to be able to see it in order to find it. Even when you’re closed, leaving the lights on has numerous benefits, including free advertising for your business.

Mood Setter

Did you know there are many ways to describe light? Soft or bright are typical adjectives used when describing light, but there’s also hue (shade), colorfulness, and saturation (intensity/chroma). Lighting helps set a mood for a place. Did you know red/orange light heightens people’s appetites? Or that nightclubs will use blue/purple light to help make people feel more comfortable and ready to socialize? Light is essential to business.

Encourage Business

With exterior lighting, your business should be lit up in such a way that it encourages “walk-in” business. The light(s) should literally attract customers. A great idea is to use path lighting, which literally lights the pathway to your door so customers know exactly where to walk in order to get into your place. Pathway exterior lights will also help draw attention to your business and its doors. Meanwhile, people feel more comfortable going into a place that’s well-lit. A bright storefront, for example, has better “curb appeal” than a dark one.

A Deterrent

One of the main reasons businesses invest in quality exterior lighting is to deter thieves. Safety, with businesses, is always a concern. Criminals and people up to no good love to find dark spots to make trouble– where they can’t easily be seen. However, when a building is well-illuminated, it looks, feels and literally is safer than a building that’s dark. Also, lights help security cameras create clearer pictures of exactly what’s going on outside of a business at night, whether it’s on the sidewalk in front, in the nearby parking lot or wherever people tend to congregate.

A Touch of Panache

Finally, lights add personality to a place. Think of the unique businesses and their exterior signs that stand out in your memory. Lighting can add new decor elements to your building, making it even more attractive. Lighting can also double as signage.

Always On Electric handles exterior lighting for many businesses in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado; please call 970-309-2616 to discuss your exterior lightning needs/wants today.

Outdoor Lighting Maintenance Tips

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Exterior Lighting There are many benefits that come along with installing residential and commercial outdoor lighting. You can make properties safer and more attractive by doing it. However, in addition to installing outdoor lighting, you also must take steps to maintain it so that it continues to work both now and in the future. Here are some tips for doing basic outdoor lighting maintenance.

Replace any lights that have burned out immediately.

Outdoor lighting can really brighten up the exterior of a home or business. Nevertheless, it’s obviously not going to be able to do it if you have bulbs in your lighting fixtures that have burned out. You should replace any burned-out bulbs with new ones right away. You should also consider using long-lasting LED bulbs that won’t have to be replaced every few months. It might cost a little more to purchase these bulbs, but they’ll pay off in a big way when you don’t have to worry about replacing them for years to come.

Clean lighting fixtures that are covered in dirt, cobwebs, and more.

Are the lighting fixtures that you use to light the outside of your home or business filthy? If so, they might be bringing down your curb appeal significantly. You also might be putting them at risk for mechanical failure at some point in the future, and they just won’t work as well when they’re covered in gunk. Every so often, you should make it a point to sweep cobwebs away from outdoor lighting fixtures and clean your fixtures thoroughly. It will keep them shining and ensure your lights always turn on.

Fix any lighting fixtures that have been broken.

It’s not all that uncommon for a lighting fixture to break. An errant baseball or a large tree branch can come through and wreak havoc on outdoor lighting. If you ever notice that one of your lighting fixtures has broken, you should have it replaced right away. It can prevent further electrical problems and keep your outdoor lighting system up and running.

Do you need maintenance done to your outdoor lighting? Always on Electric can set you up with services that will take care of all your outdoor lighting needs. Call us at 970-309-2616 to schedule an appointment with an electrician.

Steps to Take if Your Circuit Breaker Trips

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Tripped Circuit Breaker If a circuit breaker in your electrical panel trips, it’s actually not the worst thing in the world. Your circuit breakers are designed to protect the electric circuits in your electrical panel from getting damaged. Nevertheless, there are some steps you should take if a circuit breaker in your home trips.

Check them out below:

Find the Electrical Panel

The first thing you’ll need to do after a circuit breaker trips is locate your home’s electrical panel, if you don’t know where it is. These panels can be located in a variety of places, but more often than not, they’ll be in your garage or basement.

Reset the Tripped Circuit Breaker

Resetting a circuit breaker that has tripped is easy to do. All you need to do is open up your electrical panel, find the electrical circuit that is facing a different direction than all the others, and flip it back on. This should restore power to the area of your home where it went out when the circuit breaker tripped.

Make Sure the Power Stays On

In some cases, a circuit breaker might trip again after you have flipped a circuit back on. This is the sign of a problem. You may have an overloaded circuit somewhere in your home. You may also have a short circuit. A ground fault could also be to blame. Whatever the case, it’s important to find the cause of the tripped circuit breaker.

Contact a Residential Electrician for Help

If you can’t find what’s causing your circuit breaker to trip, you should avoid flipping your electrical circuit back on and contact an electrician for help. Otherwise, you could do some real damage to your electrical circuits and potentially even start a fire in your home.

Always on Electric can help you with tripped circuit breakers and any other electrical issues you face in your home. Call us at 970-309-2616 today to schedule an appointment with an electrician.

Making Sure Your Electrical is Functioning Properly on Your Farm

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It’s still the winter season, whether we like it or not. Here in Colorado, the agricultural industry is extremely important. All over the country, farmers depend on their fully functional farm to earn a sustainable living and deliver food and services to the entire country. When it comes to electrical, it’s important to make sure the farm is running properly before the season begins.

Energy savings in Colorado

Before the busy season begins, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your electrical is working and functioning properly on your farm.

Energy Audit from Always On Electric

An energy audit allows a professional electrician to come in and test for energy usage on your farm. Testing your electrical equipment can determine if everything is working properly. If you notice energy bills and electric bills increase, there is a good sign it can be because some of the equipment isn’t running properly. When this happens, electrical can be working harder than usual.

Always On Electric can give you an energy audit to determine how your electrical is running.

Maintenance and Repairs

If you do notice your electrical not working properly, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

All of our Agricultural services include:

  • Trough Heaters
  • Standalone Services
  • Barn/shop Lighting & Equipment
  • Irrigation pumps, well pumps, etc.
  • Gas pumps and equipment

Don’t go this season without proper electrical function on your farm. It’s important to tackle maintenance and repairs before the busy season of farming in Rifle, Colorado. Without proper electrical equipment working on your farm, the work will suffer and cost much more than you want. Saving money on energy bills can help you focus on the agriculture and what you do best.

Contact Always On Electric at 970-309-2616 today or visit us online for more information!